


Sometimes You Never Know the Value of a Moment...

by Pancake_child



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, On the surface, Reader-Insert, Resets, Slow Burn, bad at tags sorry, crude language, gift for a potential friendo, mentions of depression, oh my god I might actually finish this, possibly smut at some point, slow and awkward chapter schedule, underswap - Freeform, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pancake_child/pseuds/Pancake_child
Summary: He's gone. Gone but- still here.His gaze traced over you, but there was an air of confusion. He didn't know who you were anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this might suck- but let's see how this goes. I've been typing up the first chapter for a while now, and I've decided to publish it today - finally. I'm not positive if the person I want to see this will see it, but I'm hoping so.
> 
> This first chapter is just an intro, so it's extremely short. I normally average about 4,000-7,000 words a chapter, and this measly 900+ stuff is just plain ridiculous. I'll try and finish the next chapter within this week. Anyways, stuff is gonna go downhill pretty quick after this chapter- so no lollygagging to the plot. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Saturday.

This day was important to you.

You could almost pick it out from any other day just by the feel of it. Or, rather, the feel of the strangely warm skeleton arms around your waist and the sharp-smelling breath fanning across your face.

On every day but Saturday you would be awakened by the sound of a much livelier skeleton, the rustle of your soulmate trying his very best (but failing miserably) to get to his morning job on time, or your alarm clock telling you to 'get off your sorry ass and get to work'.

Thank God today was Saturday. You had needed a break that week, and so had Stretch. That week had run far too long and neither of you had known how to handle it. Neither of you wanted to talk either, and you didn't care. As long as the stress left on the one day it really could.

So here you laid, the smell of cigarettes and honey practically permeating in the air around you, the familiar prod of a radius and ulna near your spine, and that glorious sweatshirt fuzz to fill your nose, all greeting you. You signed happily, definitely not disappointed nor angered by all the different things ensuring your waking. Never before in your life had you been able to just lay and enjoy small things like this, not before you had become Stretch's partner. You were his soulmate, his love, his reason to live... all those things came from his mouth. It made you smile just thinking about it.

He was peaceful when he slept. There was a certain air of calm around him when he did, and the more you knew him to more you knew just how much he did sleep. He napped a lot, slept in as much as he could, and would usually even go to sleep earlier. It used to worry you, but now you knew there really was no reason for you to worry about it, especially when he had a brother like Blue.

Ah, Blue, the skeleton that was singlehandedly able to tire you out for an entire day just by doing his normal morning routine. The little guy (he would have puffed in indignation at the nickname) was almost the opposite of his brother; full of energy, always talked in a too-loud voice, couldn't stand to be around Muffet's, and most of all, he refused to even be near someone who was smoking. Normally you would have said he couldn't stand being near smokers, but Stretch smoked and Blue tolerated standing next to him. You giggled at that thought, he more than tolerated being near his older brother, even if he said he hated him for his puns and affinity for drinking bottles of honey and smoking packs of cigarettes at a time.

You yawned softly and cuddled closer to the chest of the skeleton lying next to you, not at all bothered by the uncomfortable feeling of the bones being shoved into your skin. You were surprised however when you were shaken slightly by a small laugh. You looked up curiously at your obviously awake boyfriend (was he really only that now that you were bonded..?), "What's with the laughing?"

"You're always so cuddly, especially in the morning," was his immediate response, as if he had expected you to ask said question. He laughed again, running his fingers through your blonde hair softly. "It's a nice way to wake up, though sometimes I'm worried you're gonna somehow slip right into my rib cage."

That brought a laugh to your lips, though the initial comment had made you blush and push closer to him. You hit him softly on the chest with a loosely closed fist and giggled breathlessly. The idea that you could 'slip into his rib cage' wasn't a new one, in fact, it had been an inside joke between the two of you for almost two years. The funniest part of it was the fact that you weren't even short. Many people, when they heard it, would assume he was taking a jab at your height but would then do a double take because you were around average height - maybe even bordering taller than most. "I couldn't do that if I tried."

His only response was a small chuckle and he took your hand in his own, kissing the bridge of your knuckles as if you were some form of royalty. You couldn't help but giggle, pulling your hand away with faux anger in the action. Almost immediately, you were pulled into a hug that caused any tension that you could have possibly holding to flow away. "We shouldn't get up at all today..."

You barely heard the words, having to piece together what had been said by the few words you did hear. You gave a soft sigh but smiled up at your skeleton partner. "I really wish we could, but you know Blue might freak if we do." You pushed yourself up a bit further to place a soft kiss on Stretch's nose aperture, making sure he understood you had to at least prepare for your day of laziness. There were no errands to run or anything, but you definitely weren't one to stay unshowered for a full 24 hours. "Now c'mon, lemme get up and maybe I'll make you breakfast, how's that sound?"

Moments passed before the embrace was finally broken and you were freed. Looks like the promise of something other than cereal for breakfast appealed to the lanky skeleton. You couldn't help but smile as you pushed yourself out of the bed and climbed over Stretch to go take a shower.


	2. Chapter 2

The day was almost over and though it had gone fast you still felt rejuvenated after the days before. After you had showered, you did as you promised and made a simple meal for yourself and Stretch. The skeleton had been thankful for the breakfast burritos, as he'd said so multiple times that day.

Afterward, you were able to watch your favourite movie with your boyfriend before Blue made it home. Once he stepped through the door you knew something was wrong, but when you asked it was obvious he had no intention of giving you an answer. You just shrugged it off, having little to no interest in pushing him for information. The little guy was smart, he knew what was best to keep to himself. 

You'd ended up making lunch soon after, as Blue had been upstairs working on something for the royal guard. When you'd finished making the food, Stretch called his brother down, and the meal was eaten without much anything notable happening. Blue said he had to finish his work, and the next few hours were spent on the couch.

You were still cuddling a now sleeping Stretch in your spot on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television purely to pass time. Blue came downstairs suddenly, the telltale creak of the stairs alerting you to his presence. You turned to see him, a huge smile plastered on his features. "Hey Blue," you spoke quietly as to not wake up the male practically in your lap, but showed excitement in your tone to show you were indeed happy to see him. He came the rest of the way down and flopped onto the couch. The press of the cushions made Stretch hum unhappily and shift closer to you, but otherwise, he wasn't affected, nor awakened. 

 Blue giggled, trying to keep his voice down so he wouldn't bother his brother, but failed to do so. "I Finally Finished My Work, Human!" He grinned, obviously proud of himself for the feat. You couldn't help but smile in return, his own mood seemingly always being able to positively affect your own. 

"Oh?" You responded, still making sure to keep your voice down. "Was it difficult, or just average time-consuming work?" At hearing your voice, Stretch mumbled softly and shoved himself closer to you. Blue noticed and gave a soft smile.

"It Was Really Easy Actually! It Just Took A Lot Of Time!" He stuck the tip of his tongue out in defiance, the soft blue glow of the appendage lightening the contours of his face. "I Really Wanted To Make Lunch Today, Actually, And I'm Really Sorry That I Couldn't Even Help. It Was Your Day Off And Everything After All." He looked down with a small frown, but not even a moment later the expression returned to a smile and he looked back up at you, meeting your gaze. "So, I Promise To Help With Dinner!"

Stretch whined and gripped your sleeve tighter when his brother raised his voice in determination before he finally opened his eyes. He took a short breath like he was about to complain until he saw that the one to wake him up had either been you or Blue. He chuckled and shifted into a more comfortable position (albeit it was still up against you). You rested your chin on the top of his skull with a smile, still focused primarily on Blue.

"No, no, it's completely okay. No worries, if you really wanna make dinner though I'm not against the idea." You shrugged as if you didn't care whether Blue took the responsibility or not. Your response, however, made Blue light up further - if the star-like design of his eyelights were anything to go by. You'd definitely be having some variety of tacos that night. You began to run your fingers up and down Stretch's spine slowly and the skeleton seemed contented by the feeling. 

Blue suddenly stood up, brushing an imaginary collection of fuzz or something. He looked up at you once again, his eyelights shining in excitement and determination. "Well Human! I Have Decided I Will Make Use Of The New Recipe I Have Acquired!" And with that, he walked off to the kitchen with an almost prideful or heroic posture (you're sure that the concept makes sense).

Stretch chuckled lightly, though it fell back into a pleasant rusty purr fairly quickly. You were still stroking his spine. "i think he visited asgore." You nodded in agreement, where else would he have gotten a new recipe?

"No kidding, though I'm still surprised he hangs around that guy. Asgore still likes puns, right?" You laughed softly, remembering the first time you truly ever met the former king. You had been one of the few to meet him. When he first came to the Surface, he'd been more than reclusive. Even his greatest friends never saw anything that had to do with him. After being cleared by the human officials, he'd be permitted free roam in the area set aside for monsters, but he'd ended up residing in a small cottage deep in the mountain. Stretch, once he'd found the goat monster, was the only one able to speak to him at first. Once that wall had been breached, he convinced him to come back to visit the Surface, and after a month and a half, Asgore became willing to live above the ground. Stretch had apparently known him through a door and had never seen him face to face until then. You met the ex-king not too long after he came to live in the outside world, and fell in love with his friendly and joking personality almost instantly. He was a simple man who loved puns and seemed to enjoy baking. He didn't expect much from anyone, and though he could be a little harsh at times, he was normally the sweetest monster you'd ever met. (Of course, he'd never rival Stretch, but you weren't about to tell that to anyone). 

Before you could think about much more of the situation, Stretch pulled you from your thoughts with a response to your question. "well yeah, i don't think he'd ever gonna get over those. i mean, i did in fact become one of his best friends~" He winked, then pushed himself into a sitting position. You gave him a faux pout but made no effort to pull him back into your arms. He was probably stiff from all that sleeping. 

-~*~-

A little while passed, and Blue called the two of you to the dining room. You could smell the ground meat before you even entered. You sat down in your usual spot, Stretch taking his seat directly next to you. Blue went off to get the food (he always insisted on having you seated before he gave you the meal). Stretch rested his elbows on the table, cradling his chin in his hands, and yawned softly. "Still want sleep?" You couldn't keep the amusement out of your voice. 

"yeah, but then again, i'm always  _bone-tired_." He sent a wink your way, and couldn't help but laugh when he heard a loud groan come from the kitchen. 

Blue finally came out of the room, a largely exaggerated frown on his face. "Brother! Stop Spreading Your Diseased Language All Over The Place! The Human Might Finally Decide To Side With Me, And You'll Be All Alone Again!" He blew a small raspberry as he placed a plate of three small tacos in front of you. Stretch only smiled mischievously at his brother while his plate was being put in front of him. Finally, Blue sat down with his own plate and began to eat carefully. You had wondered since the first time you had a meal at the skeletons' house if Blue used magic to keep even the messiest foods clean. You'd asked Stretch about it one night, and the only response you'd gotten was a laugh. 

The rest of the meal only really consisted of brotherly bickering, small conversations about things like work or sleep schedules, and occasional silences with only the sounds of eating to accompany the lack of voices. Blue stood up practically out of nowhere once the three of you had finished your food, gathered the plates, and went back to the kitchen without a word. Stretch gave you a look of confusion and interest, before twisting to face the doorway of the kitchen curiously. It only took a few moments for Blue to come back, a pie of some sort in his hands. You never claimed to be a pie expert. "Is that what you were trying to learn to make a little bit ago?" Blue nodded with a large smile, showing how truly proud he was of his work. 

"Of Course, Human! The King Gave Me The Recipe, And I'm Hoping It Turns Out As Good As When He Made It!" And with that, Blue began cutting out three pieces of the pie, placing one on each plate. Stretch as well as yourself decided to wait for Blue to sit before starting to eat, as that's usually how it went. Finally, Blue sat down and took a bite of his piece, his eyelights returning to stars almost instantly. At that moment, both you and Stretch took your own respective bites. The taste was... interesting. It wasn't bad per-say, especially with what the smaller skeleton used to make, but it wasn't very good either. You'd never liked blueberries much, but it wasn't the berry's taste that was throwing you for the loop. You glanced at Stretch, and he held a proud smile on his face while eating the rest of his pie. He obviously wasn't bothered by the taste whatsoever, or he could just pull off being proud of Blue easily. "So How Is It?" Blue prompted, barely concealing his excitement for your answer.

"I think there's a few small changes you could make, to have it taste even  _better_ , but I love how it tastes now, too!" You smiled, showing that you were in fact being truthful by taking another bite. Blue gave you a huge smile, and Stretch sent a thankful look in your direction. Some days you would accidentally let little things slip, you weren't used to people taking everything to heart like Blueberry. But, you finally figured it out to some extent, and Stretch was obviously happy about it.

The rest of dinner went by without much going on, nothing different from normal nights anyway. You got up when you were finished and started cleaning the dishes, as it was in fact your day to do them (you didn't intend to live at the house without showing any form of gratitude, and the skeletons refused to let you pay to stay). They didn't take long, and finally, you went upstairs to get ready for bed. Stretch was already soundlessly asleep by the time you finished showering (yes, for the second time that day), and you ended up just getting under the covers without much of a fuss. You kissed his forehead, noticing that he did indeed smile when you did so, and shifted to snuggle close to him.

-~*~-

Your night was spent restlessly, as it was almost like your entire life was being played in front of you at a speed you could barely understand. It sped past you to the point that your skull was pounding, but you couldn't stop it. You couldn't wake up. Things only slowed down when you watched parts of your life when Stretch was around. The time you first kissed, the time you soul bonded, etc. But once those moments were over, everything went to top speed once again. You woke up with a small scream, feeling far colder than normal. You almost wondered if you'd kicked off the sheets while you were sleeping. For a few minutes, your head hurt, you didn't know what to do but close your eyes tightly, barely having any time to look around you. You felt like something was missing. Something was very wrong and you didn't know what it was. Maybe the dream just unsettled you?

You finally opened your eyes, the pounding in your head having decreased slightly. The ceiling above you was a faded hot pink, it wasn't right. You shot up into a sitting position, looking frantically around the room. Everything was wrong. The walls were the same faded pink, there was no closet, just an old well-used dresser. The room was small, and it didn't take you long to realize you were in a twin-sized bed that barely fit you, as there were old stuffed animals that you remembered from your child-hood lined up along the wall, taking up a good majority of the side of the bed. This was your room, the place you stayed until you were in your early twenties. You'd lived in this house at a young age, and only moved out when Stretch invited you to stay at his place. You glanced at your clock, 3:00 in the afternoon. _What? It can't be that late..._ You realized, confusion and shock making you feel even colder. Something was really off.

You shoved yourself up, realizing pretty quickly that you were wearing a very over-worn sweatshirt and torn jeans - your normal outfit from back when... When you stayed in your room for days on end. Horror ran through your body, this had to be some sort of dream. Some elaborate joke, maybe. You slammed open your bedroom door, having no idea how you might be able to look at the date. You didn't trust technology telling you, Stretch was known for his over the top pranks, and he would have changed everything on your..

You stopped, mid-step. Stretch wouldn't know any of this. You never talked to him about your life before you met him. Maybe occasional baby stories, but definitely never back when you stowed away in your room for weeks on end, snacking on crackers to keep yourself alive. You glanced down, noticing that your stomach was indeed sunken in. Oh god.

Everything was so wrong. You moved out to the living room, sitting yourself down on the couch and holding your head in your hands. This wasn't okay. You remember Stretch talking about years ago, when he'd been underground, that things he referred to as 'resets' would happen on the occasion. He never remembered them, or what happened in the other timelines, but he could feel them. But he'd also promised you that the person - Chara - who used to cause them gave up the ability to do so ever again. Which meant this was impossible... right?

Suddenly, you heard a door open and turned, seeing a woman that looked much like you walk into the house. At seeing you, her face lit up, though it was obvious that the smile didn't quite reach her worry-filled eyes. "You're out?" She almost whispered the question, as if it was a miracle. And if there had in fact been a reset, it probably was. You nodded a bit, not knowing what to say. With everything you remembered from the years before- well, the other timeline, you knew you'd changed. Your parents would probably think you were crazy if you acted yourself at the time. "Oh my god, it's so great to see you sweetheart!" She quickened her pace, setting the bags in her hands down at the door, and rushed over to you, wrapping you in a hug. This had always happened when you left your room, you remembered hating it. You remembered thinking that you didn't deserve the hugs she gave, the care that she had. You sighed, relaxing into the hug. You hadn't visited your parents in years after leaving with Stretch. You don't even remember telling them that you were leaving. In a way, you guessed that if time really had gone back, now you had the chance to make up with them. To strengthen your relationship.

"Where's dad?" You mumbled softly, trying to force any positivity or emotion out of your voice. Your mother looked down, surprise evident in her eyes. She put her hands on your cheeks, smiling a bit.

"At work, remember?" You shrugged, you hadn't remembered, but now you had your answer. Finally, your mother brought her hands back, deciding to go and pick up the bags once again. You vaguely thought that they had probably been groceries. At this point, you were mostly concerned as to what day it was. Were you seeing Stretch? Did he even know you yet? Your head swam, and you decided maybe just checking out the news would help. You'd always kept up with those things once upon a time.

You switched on the TV, barely giving your mom a single look, and flipped through a few channels. It didn't take long to find the news station, and you felt your breath leave you.

.

.

.

The cameras were showing monsters flooding out from the underground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, this took much longer to write than I initially thought it would. I ended up losing everything I wrote pretty far into it, and lost motivation to restart. Regardless, here's this! I hope it turned out okay, even though I had to restart. The ending might be a little.. off. I may come back and edit it, lol.


End file.
